Two Times the Charm
by anetteo
Summary: What happens to the charmed ones when the elders alowes their family to visit? Read and find out.
1. What just happened?

**Two times the charm**

Disclaimer: No Paige, set after Leo and Pipers wedding in season 3.

* * *

Prue, Phoebe and Piper walked up the stairs to the attic. They were summoning their mother and Grams. Leo had just told them that the elders had granted that Patty and Penny could spend a few days with them. The sisters all thought that it was somewhat strange that the elders would do that, but neither had anything against getting to be around Penny and Patty the next couple of days.

"Come on, Piper. I swear you're like a snail today." Phoebe complained almost jumping up the stairs. She couldn't wait to see her mother again and had been ecstatic since Leo had told them the news.

Piper stopped and supported herself against the wall. "Sorry, Pheebs." She said barely above a whisper. Phoebe glanced over her shoulders; she had expected a smart comeback from Piper, certainly not an excuse for being slow. Prue stopped as well and turned around to look at her middle sister, "You sure you're ok?" She asked. Piper nodded and stared to climb the stairs again.

Once they were in the attic Piper sat down in the couch letting her sisters do the summoning. She wasn't feeling good at all, she hadn't told Prue and Phoebe in fear of them worrying about her today. This was supposed to be a good day.

"Hear these words, hear my cry,

Spirits from the other side.

Come to me, I summon thee.

Cross now the great divide."

Both Prue and Phoebe chanted together. There were instantly bright swirling lights surrounding them and Patty and Penny appeared in their solid forms. Patty smiled at her oldest and youngest daughter and hugged them tightly.

"Where's your sister?" She wondered with a puzzled look on her face. She had expected to see Piper standing beside her sisters. Penny looked over at the couch and saw Piper sitting there with her face buried in her hands. She nudged Patty in the side and motioned to where Piper sat.

Patty walked over to the couch and kneeled down so she was face to face with her middle child. She tucked some hair behind Piper's ear and was concerned to see her daughter's pale and worn out face looking up at her. Piper gave her a small, but heartfelt smile before being embraced in a tight hug. "Hi Mommy." She whispered to Patty as she leaned against her shoulder.

Penny, Prue and Phoebe joined Patty beside Piper. "You're not looking too good, Piper." Penny placed her hand on her granddaughter's forehead. "You're burning up, child." Piper shook her head gently, "I'm fine Grams, don't worry." Truth was that she knew she was running a high fever and she could feel her eyes burning from it.

Patty frowned at her response; she knew Piper wouldn't want to ruin their day together by being sick. "You should go lay down, sweetie. It'll only get worse if you go ignoring that you're not well. Come on, baby, let's go." She held her hand out for Piper to take. Piper stared at her mother's hand and grabbed a hold of it reluctantly. She turned her head to her sisters and muttered an apology for stealing their mother away before being lead out of the attic and down to her room.

"I'm fine Mom, really I am." Piper tried to reassure her while being tucked into bed by Patty. She couldn't even remember the last time her mother had tucked her in. Then again she didn't really remember that much about Patty from when she was little. After all she had only been four years old when she had died. She felt guilty being sick and getting all the attention. This was something she had struggled with ever since she was a child. She was too considerate for her own good at times, something that had often been used against her by her sisters.

Patty wasn't fooled, "That's something you get from your Grams." Piper looked at her mother with a confused expression. "What?" Patty smiled and grinned, "You're a bad liar." Piper shrugged her shoulders, "Who said I was lying?" Patty sat down on the bed beside her and stroked her feverish cheek gently, "Sweetie, you came from me. I know when you're not telling the truth, besides it's not exactly hard to see that you're not well." Piper gazed down on the bed and sighed heavily. "I'll admit that I may not be in the best shape of my life right at the moment."

"You get some sleep now, baby, and I'll be back to check on you in a couple of hours. Alright?" Patty got out of the bed and kissed Piper on the forehead, "Ok, mom." Piper gave in and closed her eyes. By the time Patty had reached the door, Piper was already fast asleep.

* * *

Prue and Phoebe stared at Patty with concerned looks as she entered the kitchen. Prue was as usual the first to speak. "How is she?" Patty sat down at the table with them. "She'll be fine in no time, don't worry." Phoebe giggled, "Prue, not worrying? Yeah right!" She commented with sarcasm nearly dripping from her words. Prue gave her an evil glare and slapped Phoebe's shoulder. "Go away." She mocked her baby sister.

"So what do you want to do today?" Penny asked everyone, breaking up the sibling rivalry between the oldest and youngest. "Oh, I know! Pick me, pick me!" Prue started to laugh at her little sister's outburst. "What Pheebs?" Penny shook her head and laughed along with Prue and Patty. "We can look at old home videos and pictures. Not to mention we can do it in Pipers room, so she won't feel left out." Phoebe smiled at her suggestion, it would be fun to hear what her mother had to say about what happened in the videos and when pictures had been taken. Stuff like that, stuff like she never would have gotten to know unless Patty told her.

"Good idea, besides if Piper wants to sleep, she's the only person I know that can sleep though everything. So we won't bother her." Penny liked the idea very much; she hadn't seen the videos or pictures in years. She knew Patty loved the idea too, she could tell by the way her eyes lit up when she heard it.

They made their way up to Pipers room with two boxes full of albums and videos. Patty, Victor and Penny had done a good job at taking pictures of their girls when they were little. Patty knocked on the door and entered the room first. "Sweetie, are you up for looking at some pictures and videos with us?" Piper rubbed her eyes, nodded slightly and pushed herself up in the bed. Patty sat down beside her and put an arm around her shoulder. Piper leaned against her mother and yawned, relaxing by the sound of Patty's heartbeats. Prue and Penny joined them on the bed as well, while Phoebe put a video on. Then she jumped up on the bed and snuggled against her family.

* * *

Prue's birthday 1975 

The camera focused on Prue smiling happily in her new blue dress. "How's the birthday girl?" Victor asked his oldest daughter, his voice filled with pride. "This is the best day ever, Daddy!" She shouted while jumping up and down with excitement. "That's good! I'm happy for you, baby." He exclaimed and turned the camera to where a heavily pregnant Patty sat in the couch.

"You're supposed to film the girls you know." Patty laughed. "I am filming my youngest daughter, not to mention the most stunning woman in the world who just happens to be the mother of my children." Patty grinned and pointed a finger at the camera, "Flattery will get you nowhere, Mr. Bennett." The laughter of Victor was heard in the background. "Now, where is the soon to be second littlest Halliwell hiding today?" He asked Patty from behind the camera. Patty motioned to the big box standing beside Prue. The camera moved closer to the box and Victor opened the lid, so he could film inside it. "There you are!" He exclaimed acting surprised to find her. Piper squealed of joy playing with all the paper that had been wrapped around Prue's gifts. "Daddy!" She shouted from the top of her lungs and stood up from the box throwing her hands up in the air.

Piper rubbed her sore eyes again. "Can't say I remember that." Patty gazed down at her, "You were just a toddler. Would be strange if you did remember." Phoebe patted Piper teasingly on head. "If it makes you feel any better, I can't remember either." She giggled. Piper and Prue rolled their eyes at Phoebe and turned back to the video.

* * *

1976 

The video showed two toddlers sitting on the floor in the parlor playing with a ball. Even though there was two years between Piper and Phoebe, Piper wasn't really that much bigger than Phoebe. Of all the girls, Piper had been the smallest one at birth and she still was smaller than Prue had been when she was the same age.

Prue ran up behind them and lifted Phoebe up in her arms. "Smile to the camera, Phoebe." Phoebe did as her sister told her, and flashed what she had of teeth in a huge grin. "Careful not to drop her, Prudence." Penny's voice was heard in the background.

"I am careful, Grams!" Prue assured her grandmother sat her back down beside Piper on the floor.

"How old are you, Piper?" Patty asked her middle daughter from behind the camera. Piper looked up with her chocolate brown eyes and smiled softly. "This many." She gently answered her mother holding up three tiny fingers for her to see. "That's right, baby, three years old. How old are you then, Prue?" Prue scratched the freckle beside her nose and sat down next to Piper. "I'm five, silly. Don't you remember?"

* * *

Prue leaned against Penny's shoulder and glanced over at her younger sister. "You were so little, Piper." Piper wrinkled her nose and tried to defend herself. "I wasn't that small." 

Prue giggled, "Either you were little or Phoebe was a gigantic baby." Phoebe shot her oldest sister an ugly glare. "I was not gigantic, Prue! I was perfect, thank you very much!"

Patty silently laughed at her daughters bickering. She knew that they didn't mean anything bad about it; this was a perfectly ordinary thing in the Halliwell household.

"To make things clear, Piper has always been the smallest out of you three and Phoebe wasn't a gigantic baby. At least not more than you, Prue." Prue grunted at her mother's words and gave her a smirk. "That was not the support I had hoped for."

"I'm just being honest with you, that's all." Patty grinned and took Prue's hand in hers. She gazed back down at her middle daughter who was resting on her shoulder when she heard the sound of deep breathing. "It never stops to amaze me how fast she can fall asleep." Penny chuckled, then suddenly jumped slightly when a fairly loud snore came from Phoebe. "And it never stops to amaze me how she can snore like that." Prue added, shaking her head gently at the sight of her little sisters sleeping like rocks.

Penny smiled at the scene before her. This was the way their lives should have been. Patty being there for the girls and taking care of them, Prue getting the chance to stop being her little sisters protector and for Piper and Phoebe to get the opportunity of Patty babying them around. She always felt her heart sink when she thought about how Piper and Phoebe never really got to know their mother the way they should have, and her heart broke when she thought of how Prue had seen Patty lying dead on the dock.

"Well, I'm kind of tired myself, think I'm gonna call it a day. Mom you can have my room, and Grams you can take Phoebe's. Phoebe and I can share Piper's bed." Prue yawned. Patty was about to say something, but Prue sensed what her mother would say and interrupted her. "Don't worry mom, the bed is big enough for us all. Besides if Phoebe kicks I'll throw her at the floor. She's used to that."

Patty laughed at her oldest daughter's words and tried the best she could at getting out of the bed without her two youngest daughters waking up, which wasn't easy seeing that both of them nearly slept on top of her. "If you say so, sweetie."

Finally getting out of the bed she looked down at her sleeping girls. They looked so young and innocent they way they had curled up in deep slumber. Just like they did before she died. Patty had always laughed at her mother whenever she still treated her like a child, but now she understood that no matter how old your children gets, one will never stop looking at them like little kids. Moving closer she planted a kiss on the top of each forehead, before she turned to face her oldest daughter.

"I love you, sweetie." Patty embraced her oldest daughter lovingly. "Sleep well." Prue gave her mother a peck on the cheek. "I love you too, Mom." She said and crawled into the bed beside her little sisters. Patty smiled softly at the sight before her and made her way to the bed in Prue's room.

Penny laughed, "See, this is one of the good things about being petite." Growing up, Prue and her sisters had always complained about their height. "What is?" Prue questioned her. Penny did as Patty had done and kissed the three of them on the forehead. "You all fit perfectly in one bed." She chuckled the way only Penny Halliwell could. "Grams!" Prue pretended to be offended, "I guess it's true though." Penny chuckled again, "Of course it's true. I said so. Have a good night my darling."

* * *

"Owww!" Prue shouted loudly and covered her nose with her hands. Patty ran into the room expecting to see a demon, instead she found Prue rubbing her sore nose, Phoebe occupying most of the bed and Piper curled up in a ball beside her big sister.

"What is wrong? Why did you shout? Was there a demon?" Patty rushed over to the bedside where Prue was bombarding her with questions with a concerned frown on her face. The oldest Halliwell sister pouted and pointed at her youngest sister. "Phoebe smacked me over the nose with her fist as she turned, not to mention she's taking over the bed."

Phoebe woke at the mentioning of her name, "Huh?" She mumbled as she yawned and stretched. Prue shoot her a deadly look. "You hit me over the nose!" Phoebe smirked and spat back. "Well maybe I did that because you're taking up too much of the bed." Prue growled and hit Phoebe over the head with her pillow. "Speak for yourself!"

"Girls, be nice. You're gonna wake your sister." Patty playfully scolded them. "Besides I need help making breakfast." Prue and Phoebe both turned the bickering into a laughing fit. "Prue and I can't cook." Phoebe clutched her side from laughing so hard. Patty smiled and joined them on the bed next to Piper, then asked in a motherly tone, "Would you two wake your grandmother for me and get dressed please?"

Prue giggled at her mother. She hadn't really been told what to do since Penny had died, and it had certainly been a long time since her mother had told her what to do. "Why do I suddenly feel like I'm six again?" She joked. Patty grinned and pulled both Prue and Phoebe in for a hug. "I'm sorry, I'm never gonna be used to you girls actually being adults. You're still my babies. I'm sure your father would agree with me."

"Speaking of dad, he's supposed to stop by later. I mean if you're ok with that?" Phoebe looked up at her mother. Patty smiled, "Of course. I mean I haven't seen him in a while, so it'll be nice to see him again." Prue gave her a cheeky smirk, "Seriously, mom?"

"Well, yeah. I was with him nearly half my life you know. Is it so weird that I'm looking forward to him visiting?" Patty released her hold on them and shooed them of the bed. "Don't answer that! Now do as I said and wake Grams." Prue and Phoebe smirked mischievously and did what they were told.

Patty shook her head at the two and turned to look at Piper who was still sound asleep. She tucked some of the hair that had fallen down in her face behind her ear. Feeling her forehead she was relived to discover that Piper's fever had gone down during the night. "Baby, it's morning." She spoke softly, not wanting to startle her. Piper stirred from her sleep. "What time is it?" She asked, not bothering to open her eyes. "It's 10.30. Thought you might want to help me with breakfast? Your sisters claim they can't cook." Piper let out a stifled laugh. "God no, they're very good at ordering in though." Patty smiled at her answer; sarcasm was always a good sign that Piper was feeling better.

"So, you wanna help me?" Patty asked again as she ran a hand through her daughter's long silky brown hair. Piper nodded and pushed herself up in a sitting position. She smiled brightly and put her arms around her mother. "Do you even have to ask?" Patty held her close and rested her cheek on Piper's head. "In case you weren't feeling any good."

* * *

"Phoebe, don't talk with food in your mouth!" Penny scolded her youngest granddaughter. Phoebe eyed her with a dumbfounded look on her face. "You said it Prue, why do I suddenly feel like I'm six again?" Penny gave her a stern frown, and then smiled. "Well, I have taught you manners, and you best use them." Prue joined the conversation, "Sounds like a threat, and from what I've been taught it's not nice to threaten people." Penny let out a chuckle, "That's beside the point."

Before they could get deeper into the bickering they were interrupted by the sound of the doorbell. Phoebe jumped to her feet and ran towards the front door. "Hi Daddy." They could hear her greet from the kitchen.

"Victor? Why is he here?" Penny asked Prue annoyed that nobody had told her. Patty silenced her mother, "He is their father. Do you really need any other reason?" She had to raise her hand to keep Penny from replying when Victor and Phoebe entered the kitchen.

Victor started to say something, but lost his words as soon as he saw his ex-wife and mother-in-law sitting by the table next to Prue. "Good morning, Dad." Prue stood up and gave her father a hug. "Morning sweetie." He leaned down and kissed top of her head. "Patty, Penny." He greeted them as he sat down. "So, what brings you back from the dead this time?" Penny shot him a look that could kill, "If you must know we are visiting."

Not noticing his middle daughter, he raised his brow and gazed over at his first-born. "Where's Piper?" Patty tapped him on the shoulder and pointed to her lap. In some weird way Piper had managed to fall asleep halfway on her chair, halfway on Patty's lap. "She's not feeling well." Victor looked at Piper with a concerned expression on his face. "Nothing too bad, right?" He asked Patty. She put her hand on top of her ex-husband's. "Don't worry, it's nothing that can't be fixed."

Prue and Phoebe smiled when they saw their parents together. Even if they had their differences you didn't have to be an expert to figure out that they still loved each other. They had noticed the looks between Patty and Victor at Piper's wedding; they had even been flirting, though very subtle. "Where's Leo?" Victor suddenly questioned. "He should be home taking care of her." Phoebe rolled her eyes at her father, "He's working dad, besides she is being taken care of."

"Who's being taken care of?" Piper mumbled from her mother's lap. Patty grinned and stroked her cheek lovingly. "You are, sweetie." Piper sat back up in her chair with an offended frown. "I can take care of myself." She pouted and gave her father a quick wave. "Hi Dad." Her frown grew bigger when everyone around the table laughed at her.

After breakfast they had all sat down in the couch. Prue and Piper leaning on each side of Patty and Phoebe practically sitting on her father's lap. Penny had excused herself to the attic, thinking it was only right that the girls could have some time alone with their parents. She didn't come down until she heard Patty shouting her name. "What's wrong?" She asked, but as she gazed over at her family she took the question back. "Let me rephrase that. How did this happen?"

* * *


	2. Magical Therapy

Two Times the Charm

"I guess now we know why the elders sent us down." Patty growled as she paced back and fourth with a five-year-old Prue placed on her hip. Victor walked up to her with a three-year-old Piper and a one-year-old Phoebe in his arms. "Honey, calm down. You're gonna upset the kids." Patty spun around to face him, "Don't you honey me, Victor! Look at them!" She had to give the man credit though. For a guy not used to magic he sure was calm about the situation. "Well, at least they're ok." Penny broke the two of them apart. "I'm sure there is a perfectly good reason for this."

Patty was about to yell something at Penny, but was distracted when Prue tugged on her sleeve. "Mommy, can I play with Andy?" Patty's expression softened and she kissed her oldest daughter's cheek. "Oh, sweetie. Andy's not home." How could she explain to her that Andy was dead, let alone that he was an adult? "Is he on a vacation?" Prue asked innocently. Patty sighed, "Yeah, love. Something like that."

"Mama!" Phoebe yelled from the top of her lungs. As a baby she had demanded her parents full attention all the time and wasn't pleased when their focus wasn't on her. Penny walked down the stairs and took Prue in her arms so Patty could get to Phoebe. "We're simply going to call Leo down here and demand that he goes up there for en explanation." Penny looked up to the ceiling and called for Leo. The familiar blue orbs appeared and in just a few seconds he stood before them. "You called, and who's the kid?" Penny tapped her foot impatiently, "Look around, Leo. What do you see?"

Leo turned around to face Patty and Victor. He was shocked to see what looked like a little version of his wife and Phoebe in their arms. "I take it that we now know why they sent you down here." He said dryly after recovering from the shock. Patty threw a hand up in the air in defeat, "That's what I said!"

"Leo, please go ask them what in the world has happened to my grandchildren." Penny rubbed her forehead. Leo nodded and disappeared the same way he came.

Victor sat back down in the couch with Piper still in his arms. Piper smiled sweetly and stood up in his lap so she could play with his hair. "Gway haiw, Daddy!" She exclaimed. Victor chuckled and pulled her back down on his lap so he could tickle her. "You little rascal, you gave your Daddy gray hair!" Piper laughed and tried to squirm away from him. "Nu-uh!" She giggled as she settled back in his lap and leaned against him with her thumb in her mouth.

"Grams, who was that man?" Prue asked as Penny sat her back on the floor. Stroking Prue's raven black hair she kneeled down to face her eldest grandchild. "That was an angel, dear. You and your sisters angel."

"Prudence, be nice to your sister!" Victor told her in a stern voice. "But Daddy, it's not my fault she's all cranky." Prue crossed her arms and stomped her foot on the floor. "Sweetie, you know Piper's sick. You're a bit fussy when you're sick too, aren't you?"

Prue looked down and started twirling her hair. "I guess…" Victor smiled and picked her up in his arms. "Tell you what, since you're my big girl, wanna go with me to the store? I could really use a hand." Prue's eyes lit up with excitement as he put her back down. "I take that as a yes, why don't you say goodbye to Mommy and Grams."

"Mommy, Mommy! Guess what!" Prue squealed as she ran towards her mother. "What, love?" She asked her oldest child. "I'm going to the store with Daddy!" Patty grinned at her daughter's excitement. "Are you now. Be a good girl for daddy then, ok?" Prue gave her mother a tight hug and nodded. "We won't be long." Victor assured Patty and in a matter of pure routine he leaned down kissed her goodbye on the lips.

"Eh…I'm…I'm so sorry." He apologized shocked over the fact that he had just kissed his ex-wife, or rather his dead ex-wife. Before they could say anything more Prue had practically dragged her father out of the manor and into the car.

Patty stood paralyzed, somewhat stunned over the kiss. It wasn't until Piper tugged on her leg she came to herself again. "Hey, baby. Wanna take a nap?" Piper shook her head, but she couldn't hide the exhausted expression in her eyes. "How about if Mommy fixes you a bottle and we watch some TV?" Piper rubbed her eyes and put her thumb back in her mouth as she nodded. "Feebee?" She asked her mother. "Phoebe's napping upstairs with Grams, sweetie." Patty picked her up and placed her on the hip. "Now, lets see if we can find you a bottle."

After some searching in the kitchen Patty found what she had been looking for and was now sitting on the couch watching TV with Piper cradled in her arms. She had guessed that her middle daughter would fall asleep during the first ten minutes, but it hadn't even taken five until Piper was in deep slumber with the bottle still in her mouth. "No nap, huh?" Patty mumbled to herself as she placed the bottle on the table.

"Patty?" Leo tapped her shoulder. He had just gotten back from up there and dreaded telling the Halliwell women his news. From experience he knew that he should never get on a Halliwells wrong side. They all seemed to have what you could call a temper problem. "They said that, ehh… I don't know how to put this. They said that they did this to the girls, so they could make up for some of their lost childhood."

Patty frowned and covered Piper's ears. "What the hell kind of an idea is that?! You tell them Leo, that they will turn the girls back this instant!" She hissed between gritted teeth. Leo sat down at the table so he could face her. "For one second there I could swear you were Piper, " He chuckled. It never seemed to stop amaze him how much alike the two of them were, "Still the girls will not turn back until they've made up for some of their lost time." The frown on Patty's forehead seemed to deepen. "Lost time, that could take years. They can't stay like this for that long, what about their lives, their destiny."

Leo smiled a comforting smile. "A week, Patty, the elders said a week. And they have granted you a week to stay here with them. They said the reason they didn't turn them into toddlers the very second you came down, was that they wanted to give you a smooth transition. Both for you and the girls."

Patty shook her head, "This is unbelievable." Leo gazed over at the tiny version of his wife and stroked her small rosy cheek. If their children would look anything like her, they would be beautiful. "It makes sense though. They did loose a lot growing up. Think of it as magical therapy. It's a lot cheaper than the real deal, that's for sure."

"I have to tell mom about this, would you stay with her? I'll be quick." Patty stood up from the couch and handed Piper to Leo. "Oh, and if she starts fussing in the meantime just give her the bottle. She probably won't wake up though. She's still not feeling well."

"For a week, Patty! A week!" Penny paced around in Phoebe's bedroom. "What if a demon attacks? Or worse, what if we need the power of three?" Patty sat on the bed with baby Phoebe on her lap. "Leo said to think of it as magical therapy in some sort." Phoebe cooed and played with her mother's hair. Patty held her up in front of her and smiled. "I have to admit that I miss this. Them being small enough to carry around I mean." Penny placed her hand on her daughter's shoulder. "I know you do, dear, and so do I. But what if anything happens?"

Patty tightened her grip on Phoebe. "The elders wouldn't have done this if they knew it would put them directly in harms way. They might have their foolish ideas, but they wouldn't hurt the girls on purpose. I believe that."

"They were so adorable at this age… well they are adorable at this age." Penny tickled Phoebe's stomach and the baby grinned broadly. "I have to go get Piper. She's downstairs with Leo. You coming down or what?" Patty asked her mother as she started walking towards the stairs with Phoebe on her hip. "I'll be right down, dear."


	3. Binkey!

Two times the charm

* * *

Victor and Prue walked through the front door each carrying bags. They had bought clothes and other supplies that would come in handy with a house full of toddlers. Patty greeted them and took the bags from Prue.

"Why don't you play with your sisters, sweetie? They're in the sunroom with Grams." Prue gave her mother a quick hug before she ran to her sisters.

Patty motioned for Victor to follow her into the kitchen. She put the bags on the counter and sat down by the table. "What was that earlier today?" She questioned as she twirled some of the hair that had fallen down on her face between her fingers.

Victor sat down at the chair opposite her and scratched the back of his head. "Well…" He started and looked nervously down at his hands, "…I guess that with the girls reverting and all. I mean we were together when the girls were this age the first time and it just felt natural, almost routine. The kiss that is."

Patty frowned and crossed her arms over her chest. "What do you mean by routine? Routine, like it was some kind of job?!"

Victor started to laugh seeing the offended expression plastered on her face and shook his head slightly. "Come on, Patty. You know that's not what I meant. It's never been a job kissing you, it's always been rather nice actually." He assured her with a smirk. Patty returned the smirk and raised a brow, "Oh really, Mr. Bennett, is that so?" His smile turned somewhat bittersweet and a saddened look appeared instead.

"I'm sorry for what happened to you, Patty. It wasn't fair for any of us, certainly not for the girls. I just wish we could have gotten a second chance to make things right."

Patty felt a few tears running down her face and Victor embraced her in a comforting hug. "I said that I would come home before dinner. I never came home." She cried into his shoulder. He stroked her hair and rocked her softy, feeling bad that he had brought the subject up. She choked a sob and looked up so her eyes met his. "Maybe this is our second chance?" Her voice was barely above a whisper. "Maybe so."

The sound of a small cough behind them broke them apart. They turned around to see Piper leaning against the doorframe drinking from her bottle. Patty wiped away her tears and smiled at the little girl in front of them. Kneeling down she held her arms open for Piper. "Come to Mommy, baby." She coaxed the three-year-old. The middle child didn't hesitate long before running into Patty's arms.

"Is Mommy sad?" She innocently asked as she patted her mother's cheek carefully with her tiny hand. Patty laughed at her daughter's innocence and kissed the hand. "No, sweetie. Mommy's not sad anymore." Imitating her mother's actions she planted a sloppy kiss on Patty's cheek.

Victor took one of the bags from the counter and searched through it. "Look Piper, look what daddy got you!" Piper curiously watched what he was handing her and squealed with joy when she realized what it was. "Binkey!" She quickly handed the bottle to her mother and replaced it with the pacifier she had just gotten.

"What do you say to Daddy?" Patty asked her gently. " 'Ank wu!" Piper politely thanked him without bothering to remove the pacifier.

* * *

"Sweetheart, stop moving." Patty tried changing her youngest daughter, but it wasn't as easy as she had remembered. Phoebe was constantly moving and refused to lie still long enough for her mother to change her.

"Mama!" She yelled loudly and tried to squirm away. "What, baby?" Patty cupped her daughter's chin in her hand. Phoebe responded with a whole mouthful of rambling before she once more tried to squirm away from Patty's grip.

Prue walked over to the two of them. "Do you need any help, Mommy?" Prue put her arms around her mother's waist and looked up at her with admiring eyes. Patty smiled as she gazed down at Prue and ran a hand through her black hair. "I think I'll manage, love, but thank you for asking."

Prue released her hold and pointed at her younger sister who was sitting on the kitchen floor coloring looking very concentrated. She was talking to herself as she scribbled her drawings all over the coloring book.

"When is Piper gonna stop being sick anyway?" She complained. "She's boring when she's sick." Patty had finally managed to change Phoebe and sat her down on the floor beside her sisters. "Soon, honey. She's just tired that's all."

A cheerful laughter escaped Piper. She held up her drawing for Prue to see. "Look, Pwue!" She pointed at a squiggle in the middle of the drawing. Prue squinted her eyes trying to figure out what in the world Piper had drawn.

"That's very pretty, Piper. What is it again?" She asked her little sister once more studying the squiggle. "Gwams!" Piper squealed contently clearly proud of her work.

Patty had to turn away to hide the laughter. Prue suppressed her laughter along with Patty. "Why is Grams green?" She questioned her. Piper only shrugged her shoulders and put the binkey back in her mouth. She handed the drawing to her mother and smiled brightly.

"Thank you, baby. I'm sure grams will love it." Patty grinned as she took the drawing Piper had handed to her and placed it on the refrigerator door. "Yeah, Piper, she'll love it!" Prue nodded in agreement with her mother.

"Weltome." Piper had always heard her parents and Grams saying 'you're welcome' after they had given away something, and she had been told by her mother that it was a polite thing to say.


	4. Climbing

Prue sat down in the parlor beside her grandmother and leaned against her. "Grams, I'm hungry." She told her as she scratched the freckle beside her nose. Penny smiled and put her arms around her oldest grandchild. "I'll start making dinner right away, honey." Prue nodded and her smiled turned into a smirk, "Did you see the drawing Piper made of you?" She asked her.

Penny let out a chuckle, "Yes, dear, I saw it, " She stopped and looked over at her middle granddaughter who sat on her mother's lap, "and it was beautiful. Not to mention that I look very good in green." Piper gave her a proud smile and then rubbed her face sleepily. She sighed deeply and snuggled closer against Patty. "You tired again, sweetie?" Penny asked her. Piper closed her eyes and shook her head slightly. Patty brushed some of the hair that had fallen down in her face away.

"You wanna come with me and put your sisters down for a nap, sweetie?" Patty asked her oldest daughter. "Don't wanna nap…" Piper started fussing and tried to suppress a yawn. Patty got up from the chair and placed Piper on her hip.

"Listen to Mommy, Piper." Prue softly reprimanded her little sister. "Thank you, honey. Come on, let's go upstairs." Prue nodded and grabbed a hold on Patty's hand. "Victor, bring Phoebe will you?" Patty questioned her ex as she started climbing the stairs with Prue and Piper.

With the two youngest Halliwells nicely tucked in bed and the third one playing with some toys on the floor, Victor put his arms around Patty. "We did good you know." Patty turned around to face him. "I know. It's just hard to think that they were only a year older than this when I died." Victor cupped her chin in his hand. "You're here now, Patty." She smiled and picked Prue up. "Pretty good for a guy who always says the wrong thing."

"Let's try not to wake your sisters up now shall we." Patty told Prue. They were about to leave the room when Piper started to whimper in her sleep. Patty handed Prue to Victor and told them to go ahead downstairs. She moved towards the bed and lay down next to her middle daughter. She gently ran a finger over her little cheek and shushed her with a soft voice so she wouldn't wake her up.

Not stirring from her sleep Piper somehow managed to clutch her mother's finger tightly in her hand and her whimpers were subsided. It touched Patty to see how dependent her daughter was of her. She hadn't realized how much it truly was until now. What she wouldn't give to be alive again, to be with her girls everyday.

Patty woke an hour later by her mother hollering for her and by some extra weight on her stomach. Phoebe had woken up during the nap and had apparently thought that her mother would make a perfect pillow. "Patty! Dinner!" She heard Penny was about to get impatient. "Coming, Mom." She called back. "Ok, babies, let's go eat."

* * *

Phoebe sat placed neatly in her highchair eating or rather trying to eat her spaghetti. All the food seemed to go everywhere else but her in mouth, along with Piper her face was also fairly well covered with tomato sauce. After some searching they hadn't managed to find the old booster seat for Piper in the attic, so she sat on her father's lap by the table. Prue laughed by the sight of her little sisters, both determined to eat themselves no matter how much of a mess they made. 

"Phoebe, why don't you let Mommy feed you?" Patty coaxed her youngest, Phoebe didn't agree and responded with a high-pitched scream when Patty tried to lure the fork away from her. "Alright, alright, I won't take it!" Patty raised her hands in defeat. Phoebe stopped screaming as soon as Patty pulled back and giggled at her victory. Victor gave Patty a sympathizing smile. "What can I say, she knows what she wants."

After some struggle with her spaghetti Piper found that her fingers were much better of eating with than the fork. "Piper dear, we eat with the fork, not the hand." Penny lightly scolded the three-year-old. She silently laughed to herself knowing the little girl was one of the most prominent young chiefs in San Francisco. Well her adult self was anyway.

Piper looked up at her with her chocolate brown eyes and sighed deeply. "But Gwams…" The despair in her voice was obvious. "…It's too hawd." And before Patty could intervene Piper had wiped the mess she had made all over her shirt.

"Honey, look at your shirt now…" Patty sighed and ran a hand trough her hair. To go from being dead the last 20 some years to become a fulltime toddler parent wasn't the easiest thing in the world. To say she, Penny and Victor was out of practice was not an understatement. "Sowwy." Piper apologized as Victor tried to clean her hands with a cloth. After her had cleaned her up he kissed her on the cheek. "That's ok, baby."

"Can we go play in the backyard?" Prue asked her mother. She had become fairly antsy from sitting still so long and was more than ready to be excused from the table. "Sure sweetie, but not for too long. And wear your jackets, it's cold outside." Patty told Prue and picket up a jacket for both of the girls. She handed one to Prue and helped Piper get hers on.

Kneeling down she looked her middle daughter in the eyes and placed a finger on the tip of her nose. "Stay where I can see you, ok?" Piper grinned and grabbed Prue's hand. Piper had always been a somewhat quiet and shy child, but her curiosity got the best of her sometimes, something Patty remembered very well.

"Don't worry Mommy, I'll take care of her." Prue promised as she lead her little sister out the backdoor.

* * *

Patty watched as her children ran around playing in the yard. She laughed as she saw Prue pretending to be tackled to the ground by her younger sister. It was no doubt her oldest daughter was amazing with her two younger siblings, especially with Piper. She would never forget how proud Prue was the day Piper was born. Victor and her had been concerned that she would get jealous of her new baby sister, but she never did. She adored her, the same was she eventually would adore Phoebe when she was born. 

It fascinated Patty how her children even at this age showed so strong traits of their personalities. Or rather the personalities they eventually ended up with originally. Even at this age Prue was a leader and showed the way for her younger siblings. Piper wasn't acting up like a three-year-old would; she was such a sweet and incredibly kind child. She was already the mediator between her sisters. Phoebe was a delight and her spirit never seemed to be broken, a true Halliwell. Pride couldn't even begin to explain what she felt for her daughters. All three of them were perfect in their on unique way, so different, yet so alike.

She was jerked out of her thoughts when she saw Piper falling down from one of the garden chairs she had been standing on. It had rained earlier that day and the chairs had become all slippery because of it. At first it seemed as the middle child was okay and didn't seem to mind at all. But that was before she saw the small lines of blood forming on her scraped hand. Prue ran to her side and tried to console her, but she knew there was no use. Prue knew that when Piper got like this only their mom could calm her down.

With her bottom lip trembling Piper looked up at her mother seeking her comfort as she started crying. Patty picked up the little girl in front of her and tried to soothe her the best way she could. It was a well-known fact that her middle daughter had never been too keen at the sight of blood.

"It's ok, sweetie. Mommy's gonna fix it." She cooed and kissed Piper's tear stained cheek. "Let's go clean your hand up and put a band-aid on it, okay?"

Piper nodded and buried her head under Patty's chin, holding her hurt hand out of her sight. "Dumb chaiw…" Patty tried not to laugh when she heard Piper muttering as they past the garden chair on their way into the kitchen.

Placing Piper on the counter she stared at her for a minute. "Why did you climb the chair, honey?" She asked the little girl softly while cleaning her hand. Patty knew that Piper was well aware that she had done something she had been told not to do.

Piper gave her a guilty look through the tears and shook her head slightly. "I dunno." She cried and rubbed her face with her uninjured hand. It was the truth too; she didn't know why she had done it. Her mother and father had always said that she shouldn't climb things like that, because she would only fall down and get hurt. They sure knew what they were talking about.

"You know you have to listen to me when I tell you not to do something." Piper looked down on the floor and nodded. Patty finished fixing her hand and pulled her daughter in for a tight hug. Piper rested her head on Patty's shoulder and studied the band-aid on her hand. "I just want you to be safe and not get hurt. Mommy would be very sad if anything happened you or your sisters."

"Patty?" Penny called from the parlor. "Kitchen, mom!" Patty yelled back to her mother. Penny smiled at her daughter and granddaughter as she walked into the room. "So how are my girls doing?"

Piper lifted her head from her mother's shoulder and held her hand up for Penny to see. "I fell." She told her grandmother sticking her bottom lip out. Penny lifted her out of Patty's arms and placed her on the hip. "Oh, my poor dear!" Penny put on a dramatic act and showered Piper with kisses. "Gwaaaaaams!" Piper laughed and tried to squirm away from Penny's grip.


	5. Grams said so

Victor sat in parlor with a cold beer in his hands. Patty was upstairs giving the girls a bath before they went to bed, and Penny was as usual in the attic. He loved his girls, he really did, but to think Patty had managed to take care of all three alone. That was truly admirable. Not that the girls were so much trouble, they were simply just acting their age and they probably were more well behaved than many other kids. He had to thank Penny and Patty for that.

He turned around when he heard someone coming down the stairs. Seemed as Patty was done with putting the children to bed. She laughed at him when she saw the beer in his hands. "Turning to alcohol I see." She sat down beside him and placed her feet on the table.

"Want one? This has been a long day for you too, not to mention stranger than usual. Well, maybe not so strange for you." Victor smiled at his ex-wife. That he had been married to such a beautiful woman still stunned him, in his eyes there could never anyone more beautiful than her.

"No thanks, I just wanna sit here and not think for a while. Care to not think with me?" She asked him and leaned against his shoulder. Victor chuckled and kissed her on the top of the head. "Of course. I like not thinking."

She yawned and closed her eyes for a second, before she mumbled, "I know you do." Victor took another sip of his beer, "So they're staying like this the whole week?" Patty nodded. "Yeah, at least that's what Leo said."

"In other words the next six days will be interesting." He let out a small laugh. Patty sat herself back up and looked him deep in the eyes. "You shouldn't laugh, Victor. This means a lot to me, and it should mean something to you too. You missed their childhood just as much as I did." Victor placed his hand on her cheek. "Patty, It does mean the world to me, believe me. It's just not everyday my grown daughters turns into toddlers."

He gave her a gentle smile and got up from the couch. "I have to get home." Patty jumped from the couch and grabbed his hand to keep him from going anywhere. "You can't drive, you've been drinking." He turned around to face her. "I'm calling a taxi. Don't worry." He was about to move but Patty held him back again. "You know, you can stay here. You can sleep on the couch or you can share Prue's room with me and Phoebe if you want." She offered.

"Isn't that a bit unethical, sharing a bed with my dead ex-wife?" Patty slapped him lightly on the arm. "Nonsense, besides we're only gonna sleep. What's unethical about that, we shared a bed for 8 years in the past. Don't get so technical about it." He chuckled and agreed to what she was saying. "True. I don't snore anymore by the way." He joked as they made their way upstairs. "Won't help me much, seeing Phoebe still does…"

* * *

Patty woke at the sound of a baby's laughter and turned around to see Phoebe sitting in her crib. Smiling at the sight of the giggling baby she picked her up and placed her between Victor and herself in the bed. "Did you sleep well, baby?" She asked as she played with the baby's hair. Phoebe nodded and continued on with the baby rambling.

On the other side of the hallway a toddler also woke Penny up. Piper stood on her tiptoes and tried to climb up on the bed. "Morning, princess. What are you doing out of bed so early?" She asked the little girl while lifting her up. "Nothing." Piper smiled and gave her grandmother a toothy grin. "I should have known you'd say that." Penny chuckled as she tickled her on the stomach. Out of her three grandchildren she had always had a special connection with Piper. It probably was because she was such a mellow child, never the one to cause any serious trouble. Not that she never caused trouble, because she did, the mischievous streak the Halliwells were known for hadn't skipped the middle sister.

"Pwue said go away." Piper told Penny as she rested her head on her chest. Penny ran a hand through her dark hair. "And why is that?" She questioned raising her eyebrow.

Piper let out an exhausted sigh. "I woke her." She scratched her head and put the Binkey in her mouth. "Can I watch TV?" She innocently asked her grandmother. Penny nodded a yes to the three-year-old. "Make sure your big sister goes with you, okay?" Piper climbed down from the bed and yelled an 'okay' as she ran back into her room to wake Prue again.

"Gwams said to wake up!" Piper poked her sister in the ribs. Prue shot her an annoyed glare and crossed her arms over her chest. "Why?" She growled at her little sister. "I wanna watch TV." Prue rolled her eyes, "You can do that by yourself. I'm not going."

Piper shrugged her shoulders and skipped happily down the stairs by herself. She could do it alone. She certainly didn't need her big sister to watch her; she wasn't a baby anymore, even if everyone still called her one. Piper picked up a big book and carried it all the way to the TV. She placed it on the ground and stepped on top of it so she could reach the ON button on the TV.

Hours later Patty got out of bed. Phoebe and Victor were still sound asleep, so she decided to leave them be. Making her way over to Pipers bedroom she had expected to see both her daughters in bed, but instead she only found one. She kissed her oldest daughter on the forehead and smiled as she began to stir. "Where's Piper, honey?"

Prue yawned and placed her arm over her eyes. "Watching TV." She muttered and rolled over on her side. Patty got a concerned frown on her face. "With Grams?" She asked. Prue shook her head and fell asleep again. Patty's frown deepened and was quickly down in the living room. She let out a relieved sigh as she found her middle child sitting in front of the TV with her tongue sticking slightly out of her mouth, clearly in her own world.

"Sweetie?" Patty tried to make contact with her daughter. Getting no response from Piper she waved a hand in front of her face, "Sweetheart?" Snapping out of her world Piper threw her tiny arms around her mother's neck and hugged her as tightly as she could. Patty laughed at her daughter's reaction and hugged her just as tightly back.


	6. Bubbles!

"Who wants to help mommy make cookies?" Patty asked the girls, already knowing the answer to the question. As she guessed Piper jumped up at the sound of cookies, soon followed by her older sister. Phoebe on the other hand was busy chewing on one of her toys where she sat on her father's lap.

Prue ran for the kitchen and Piper held her arms up for Patty to carry her. "What kind of cookies do you want, sweetie?" Patty asked as she placed Piper on the counter beside Prue. The middle child shrugged her shoulders at first and scratched her head.

"Tocolate?" She gently answered, pleased with her diction. "What'd you say, love? Chocolate chip ok with you?" Patty asked her oldest with a smile. Prue nodded content and patted her little sister's cheek. "Good choice, Pipe."

"Ok, Prue, you can help me measure the flour. And Piper, you can help me with mixing the dough." Patty kissed them both on the forehead before she started gathering the ingredients they needed.

"Could you please hand me the bowl beside you, Prue?" The oldest Halliwell child nodded and did as told. Patty gave her a thankful smile and got the measuring cup and flour so Prue could help her. "Ok, you pour and I'll tell you when to stop."

Prue grabbed a hold of the flour and started to pour, looking up at her mother often to see if she was doing it right. "That's great, sweetie. Thank you. Piper, now you can help me stir while Prue pours the flour into the bowl."

Patty held onto Piper's hand as they both stirred the mix. "You two are such great helpers. I don't know what I would ever do without you." She praised the children who both returned smiles of pride.

Sitting beside the bowl full of cookie dough, Piper tried to fight the urge to taste it. She knew she wasn't supposed to eat it and that she should wait until the cookies were all done. She stuck her finger into the dough and got a taste, just as Prue caught her.

"Your not supposed to eat the dough now!" Prue scolded her little sister and shook her head disapprovingly. "Tell her mommy!" she tattled. "It's ok, Prue. She didn't ruin it, you can taste it too." Patty reasoned with her oldest trying to avoid an argument.

A little while later the cookies were in the stove and everybody had returned to the living room, except one little Halliwell. Piper was still in the kitchen; she sat on the floor in front of the stove watching carefully watching the cookies.

"Honey, the cookies aren't gonna be done faster just because you look at them." Patty laughed as she entered the room. She held put her hand for Piper to take, "Come on, sweetheart. Let's run you a bath and maybe when we're done the cookies are ready."

Piper grabbed a hold of the hand and followed her mother. After the cookie-making Piper was covered with flour, dough and chocolate, in other worlds the best word to describe her truly was sweetheart.

"Prue, bath time." Patty called as they started climbing the stairs. Knowing the steps would take her tiny three-year-old forever to finish she picked Piper up and placed her on the hip. By the time she had reached the top Prue had already run past her and was ready for the bath.

"I'm ready, mommy!" Prue grinned. Patty smiled at her as she helped Piper get out of her clothes. "She's so slow…" The older one of the children complained. Sighing Patty silenced her oldest daughter.

"She's little, honey. It's not her fault. You have to be patient with both her, and Phoebe." Piper had stopped listening to her big sister's complaints with her and didn't really pay attention to what was said. Instead she rested her head against her mother's chest and put her thumb in her mouth.

"Lotsa bubbles, mama." Piper ordered as she watched the tub being filled with water. Bubbles were one of her favorite things in the world. Prue just laughed at her and though she was silly, but that was all right. Piper didn't really mind being silly.

"Of course, baby. Just as you like it." Patty agreed as she kissed the top of her head. Making sure the water wasn't too hot she lifted both girls in. Piper who was clearly pleased with all the bubbles squealed with joy.

Prue shook her head and laughed along with her mother seeing Piper so happy with something so meaningless, though to the little toddler it was the greatest thing ever.

To Patty it was just wonderful to see her children happy and healthy, and to know that for at least the rest of the week their life would be worry free.


	7. Anxious, me?

It had been four days since the elders had preformed their "magic" on the girls and luckily no demons had showed. Penny figured that the elders probably had cast a blocking spell on the manor and the girls to keep the demons away.

One thing that was for certain was that the manor hadn't been this noisy in over twenty years. It was a good kind of noise though; Penny enjoyed the laughter and sound of small feet running across the floor. She even enjoyed Phoebe's loud screaming and the two older girls' bickering.

She was impressed over how well Patty and Victor worked together. In all fairness they had worked well together when it came to the kids in the past, still that was in the past. Things had happened since then; they had divorced, Patty had been with Sam and then she had died. Still they had managed to put everything aside for the kids. Penny had even gained a newfound respect for Victor, not that she would admit to it.

Penny smiled down at the baby in her arms. Phoebe was contently drinking her bottle and staring up at her grandmother. "Hey there sunshine. What are you looking at?" Phoebe grinned and continued drinking. Penny turned her head at the sound of tiny feet shuffling across the room. "I want mommy." Piper cried softly as she crawled up beside her in the couch. "What's the matter sweetheart?" Penny put her arm around the middle child trying to console her.

Piper wiped her nose with the sleeve of her red sweater. "Oh, Piper. Don't do that." Penny gently admonished the three-year-old. Piper's bottom lip started to quiver and tears were threatening to be spilled again. "I want mommy…"

"Alright, honey. I'll find her for you. Stay with Phoebe." Penny placed Phoebe on the floor beside some toys and went to find Patty. She returned a short while later with Patty behind her. Patty walked over to her middle daughter and pulled on to her lap. "What's wrong, sweetie?" She asked softly as she rubbed her back soothingly. "Don't go!" Piper cried as she clung to her mother.

"I'm not going anywhere, baby." Patty assured the little girl and brushed away some hair from her face. "I was just upstairs with your sister." Piper wiped away some tears with her hand as she hiccupped. "I got scawed." Patty smiled and ran a hand through Piper's brown hair. "I see that. You don't have to be afraid, honey, mommy's right here." Piper nodded and put her thumb in her mouth.

* * *

Patty had put the two youngest down for a little nap and went downstairs to find her mother. She found Penny in the kitchen making a snack for Prue. Patty sat down by the kitchen table beside her oldest daughter and kissed her head. "Why don't you go find daddy, love. Mommy has to talk with Grams about something." Prue nodded and left her mother and grandmother alone.

"You think the spell is starting to wear off?" Patty asked as Penny handed her a cop of coffee. The matriarch shook her head and joined her daughter by the table. "I doubt that. The elders cast it to last a week and I don't think it will end before it's supposed to. Why do you ask anyway?" Patty rubbed her forehead and sighed. "I was just thinking about Piper, and her getting scared that I'd leave."

Penny smiled sympathetically at the younger witch. "Honestly, I just think that was Piper being Piper." Patty nodded, "She always been a bit anxious I suppose." Penny let out a slight chuckle, "Like mother, like daughter."

Patty raised her eyebrows, "I am not anxious, mother! Victor, tell her that I'm not anxious!" She told her former husband that had just entered the room. Victor scratched the back of his head and squinted his eyes slightly knowing he had to step carefully on this one. . "Well… You kinda are. I've always found it charming though." He bit his lip hoping that the last comment rescued him from the sticky situation.

"You're not supposed to agree with her, I'm your wife!" Patty growled somewhat offended by both of them. Penny rolled her eyes and let an annoyed snort escape. "Ex-husband." Patty made an equal annoyed face back at her mother and told her in a snippy manner, "You know perfectly well what I meant."

"Timeout ladies." Victor put his hands on Patty's shoulders, "I told Prue to wake the girls. We should go get them. Excuse us, Penny." He told his former mother-in-law as he walked Patty out of the kitchen. Patty muttered a silent thank you to him as they started walking up the stairs.


	8. Hide and seek

Leo materialized in the parlor just as Prue came running in. It had been a while since he had been to the manor. He wanted the Halliwells to have some "family time" for themselves and didn't really feel the need to spend a whole week with grandparent, parents and all that entailed. 

"Grams!" Prue yelled from the top of her lungs as she squinted her eyes at whitelighter. Leo shook his head and laughed slightly. Every time he orbed in Prue would call her grandmother, loud enough for the entire house to hear. The protective mode was in high gear for sure.

Penny came into the parlor with Patty and Piper following her. Penny and Patty greeted him and motioned for him to sit down. Piper, being her shy self, hid behind Patty's leg and gave him a soft smile. "Hey Piper." Leo smiled back and waved as he sat down in the couch. Prue jumped up in the couch right beside him, now more curious than protective. Patty almost had to drag Piper from behind her as she picked her up and placed her on the lap.

"Why are you here?" Prue blurted out rudely, still squinting her eyes at him. "Prudence! You know better than to be rude like that." Patty gently admonished her. Prue's gaze dropped to the floor as she muttered an apology to Leo. She didn't like it when her mother scolded her. It was something that didn't happen often, but if there was one thing her mother didn't tolerate, it was rudeness.

"Any news to share?" Penny asked as she sat down. Leo shook his head, " No. They haven't told me anything, so I think everything goes according to plan. I just stopped by to see how you were doing." He grinned as he looked over at Piper. "I knew she was shy, but I guess I never knew how much until now." Patty smiled and wrapped her arms tighter around her middle child. Piper sat so snuggled against Patty that Leo didn't think it was possible to get any closer. "Yeah, I'm glad to know that she grows out of it eventually."

"How do you know?" Prue questioned Patty with a puzzled expression on her face. Not knowing what to answer her oldest, Patty gave an alarmed glance at her mother. Penny did a gesture with her hand, as if saying 'well of course'; "Naturally, your sister will grow out of it. Just look at yourself, you're clearly not shy are you?" 

Prue started saying that she wasn't, but was cut of by Penny again. "Well there you go, that's how we know. Now go play." Knowing that she shouldn't argue with her grandmother, she did as she was told. That was usually the best thing to do, not to mention the wisest.

�

* * *

Piper lightly tugged on her mother's hand. "Yes, baby?" Patty gazed down at the small child in her lap. "Leo's nice." Patty softly laughed and kissed her daughter on the cheek. "Yes, he's very nice." Piper twirled a strand of hair around her fingers. "I like Leo." She stated and leaned back against her mother.

Patty's gaze fell to her two other daughters who sat playing on the floor. Her heart stung knowing that in two days it would be all over. She'd have to go back, and her girls would have to turn back into their adult selves. The week had gone all too fast, her life had gone all to fast.

Victor sat down by her side. He could always tell when she was sad, even if nobody else could. That was one of the things Patty both loved and hated about him. Sometimes she didn't want anyone to see though her like that. Victor took Piper out of her lap. "Why don't you go play with your sisters. I need to talk to mommy, ok?" He whispered in her ear. Piper nodded and ran over where Prue and Phoebe sat.

"What's wrong, honey?" Victor asked Patty as he sat down beside her again. Patty turned to look at him, "And why do you suppose there's something wrong?" She questioned back and sighed. "Because I know you." He challenged back and placed a hand gently on her back. She leaned in against him and rested her head on his shoulder. "I'm just too emotional like always. It's nothing really." 

Victor shook his head. "You're never emotional about nothing, Patty. There's always a good reason behind it. It's the girls right and that you're going back?" She nodded slightly. "Yeah, sounds about it. Only two more days, you know." Victor took one of her hands on his and kissed it softly. How he missed those hands, silly the things you miss, he often thought to himself. The day she died had been one of the worst days in his life. He hadn't gone to her funeral, he should have for the girls and Penny, but he didn't. Patty was his soul mate, his everything along with the girls. 

"It'll be okay, it always will." He told her quietly with a small smile and looked over at his girls again. They were playing hide and seek. At least Prue was, and Piper tried. Phoebe just crawled around on the floor chewing on random toys. It was nice to see them so carefree, like they didn't have the world hanging on their shoulders all the time.

"I can see your feet Piper, I know you're behind the curtains." Prue complained frustrated at her younger sisters. They couldn't even play this game right, only Andy could and her mother had said that he wasn't home. "Come on, Piper. Show yourself." Prue nagged as she tried to drag her little sister away from her hiding spot. 

"You have to hide so I don't find you right away." Prue shook her head as Piper jumped out from behind the curtains. "I did hide." She argued and stuck her bottom lip out. 

"Not good enough, I don't wanna play this game anymore." Piper's frown deepened, "Why not?" Prue looked down at her little sister, she didn't want to hurt her by saying that she couldn't play the game right, so she lied and told her she was tired. Piper seemed to believe her excuse as she skipped over to where Patty and Victor sat again. 


	9. Kiss and make up

Hi everybody! Sorry I haven't updated in ages, I had a serious writers block, not to mention a crazy life :) I'm finishing the story very soon, and I wanna thank you all for your reviews! They mean a lot to me, and they truely make my day :) I know this is short, but that's what I have right now. Thanks again for reading!

-Anette

* * *

Penny absentmindedly traced lines on her youngest granddaughters back. Tomorrow all three would return to their adult selves, herself and Patty would have to return to "up there". She thought about how this week had been such a joy to them all, for the girls to relive some of their childhood that had been so unfairly taken from them. Sure, life had been hard on Penny as well, but her heart ached whenever she thought about all the tragedies her still young grandchildren had witnessed.

She felt Phoebe's little body go heavy in her arms, knowing that she was about to be lulled to sleep. What would they remember from the week? Would they even remember anything at all? There were so many things she wished she knew the answers to. The sudden snore that escaped Phoebe drew her away from her pondering. That such a tiny person could snore that loud was nothing short of a miracle.

"There you are." The sound of Patty's voice made her look up. "What's on your mind?" Patty asked her mother. Penny sighed and smiled warmly at her only child. "Nothing, dear. I was just thinking about what happens now."

Patty made a frown as she sat down beside her mother on the couch. "Like how?" Not really following the cryptic answer she had received. Penny shrugged, " Like what will they remember from this, if they even will remember anything at all."

Patty's frown deepened, and the anxiousness she had been mocked for earlier started showing. She pushed herself up from the couch and started pacing slowly back and forth. "I can't believe I haven't though of this. What if they don't remember, then all this week has been a waste. It's all been for them."

Penny let out a soft chuckle. She could see all three girls so clearly in their mother, in so many ways. "Darling, nothing has been a waste. There is a reason for this, just as there is for everything else. Trust me on that. We'll find out everything tomorrow, and I'm positive that it'll turn out fine." Patty nodded as she bit her bottom lip. "You're probably right." Penny waved her hand nonchalantly, "I usually am."

The two older witches turned their heads when they heard two pairs of small feet getting closer. Prue was seen first, dragging Piper by the hand. Once they arrived to where their mother and grandmother were sitting, Prue pulled Piper out from behind her and pushed her towards them. "You take her, I can't watch her anymore." She flicked some of her hair behind her shoulder in a very Prue-like manner and rolled her eyes.

"And why is that?" Penny raised her eyebrows at her oldest granddaughter.

Prue fiercely crossed her arms over her chest as she let out an annoyed huff. "She's impossible to play games with, she's not getting them right at all."

Piper shot an offended glare towards her sister. "Am too!" She knew for a fact that she was the most fun to play games with, her big sister was just mad because Andy wasn't there. Piper put on the best pout she could muster before she stomped her foot angrily.

Prue gritted her teeth, just as angry as her sister. "Do not!" Piper curled her small hands into fists as she challenged Prue back. "Do too!" She felt her bottom lip beginning to wobble. No, she was not going to cry, that would just give Prue the excuse to call her a crybaby again.

"Now girls, calm down. Just because Piper doesn't play the games exactly like you want, Prue, doesn't mean that she's not getting them right." Penny reasoned the best she could, "Besides, you two haven't fought the whole week, and you're not about to start now." She added the last part with a tone of voice that neither dared to argue with. With that she turned her attention back to the sleeping baby in her arms. At least she was quiet, besides the disturbingly loud snoring that escaped her lips from time to time.

Patty gathered them both in front of her, "Grams is right, there's no reason to start fighting now." Prue was about to disagree, but quickly shut her mouth when she saw her mother shaking her head no. "Be nice to each other, always, okay?" Patty admonished gently in the way only she could. Penny could never understand where her daughter got all her patience from, but it certainly wasn't her.

Prue looked shamefully down on the floor and nodded in agreement. It was silly to fight over some dumb game, and she instantly regretted being so mean to her younger sister. It was after all not her fault that she was little. Piper leaned against her mother and nodded as well. She hadn't meant to get so angry with Prue either, but she didn't like it when she felt that she was being treated unfairly.

"We're sorry, mommy, honest." Prue said as she laid her arms around her mother's neck. Patty kissed their foreheads and hugged them tightly. "I know, love. It's normal to get a bit carried away sometimes. As long as you kiss and make up, everything is okay."

* * *


End file.
